2Y2Y
by LavenderSkies
Summary: The 2 years they'd spent stuck with each other had seemed like nothing more than a transitional period in their lives at the time. It would take the next 2 years apart for them to realize its significance. A short story looking into Zoro and Perona's relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Oda Eiichiro.

* * *

**Chapter One:**

In the beginning, two years seemed like a long time. For Zoro, it was the length of time he would have to endure before he could meet up with his nakama again to pursue their dreams. For Perona, it was the dreadful days she would have to live out on a lonely island with no one except for two extremely un-cute swordsmen who, despite their infamous reputations, were basically strangers. With their personality differences, coupled with their antagonistic history, it was questionable whether coexistence throughout that period was even possible.

In the beginning, two years seemed like an awfully long time…

* * *

"Just how much of an idiot _are_ you?"

He scowled irritatingly. "Huh?" He had no idea what she was trying to say, but he most certainly did not appreciate her condescending tone.

Sitting on the bed beside the Straw Hat swordsman, once again tending to his injuries from training, Perona's brow ticked with barely concealed frustration. "You got up again after Hawk-Eyes gave you this cut," she admonished, pointing to a particularly deep wound on his chest. "Then again after this one," she continued, pointing to another. "And if he hadn't called it quits, you would have tried to get up even after getting _this_ one!" she yelled into his ear as she purposely jabbed her finger against the deepest sword wound he had received that day.

Hissing at the pain, Zoro grabbed her wrist on reflex and pulled her hand away. "That hurts, damn it!"

She ignored his complaint. "Are you trying to get stronger, or are you just trying to get yourself killed?" At this rate, this brainless moron might just die before two years was even up.

"That's just the way I fight," he stated. "It's got nothing to do with you."

She screeched. "You ungrateful jerk! Is that the way to treat someone who takes precious time out of her day to put you back together?!"

He gave her a dry look. "Got a problem with it?" Her nagging was wearing him out.

"Argh! You are _so_ not cute!"

Zoro closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as Perona went off on a tangent about how rude he was and how underappreciated she was as she walked circles around his room. When she was still going at it even after a good ten minutes, he finally spoke up. "If it bothers you that much, you can leave. I'll take care of this on my own."

"Like _hell_ you can!" she said heatedly as she stomped her way back to his side, her arms moving on autopilot, resuming her task as she continued to gripe. "You wrap your bandages so loose it's basically useless!"

"I like them loose. When you do it, I can't move," he retorted with a calm and straight face.

"YOU'RE NOT _SUPPOSED_ TO MOVE, YOU DUMBASS!" How, oh how, did she get stuck with this blockhead?

"Then could you stop tying these stupid knots everywhere?" She would keep tying these ridiculous miniature bows along his bandages as though she were trying to decorate him somehow. If she was going to insist on dressing his wounds, she could at least do it properly.

"Shut up! I'm trying to improve your cuteness factor!"

"I need no such thing! Stop messing around!"

"Argh! Not cute!"

* * *

Clutching to her umbrella, Perona floated over the part of the forest where she had spotted her target earlier with her Ghost Network, her eyes scanning the area below for the wandering fool.

"There he is!" Upon finding him, she immediately swooped down to meet him. "Oi! Zoro!"

The swordsman looked up at the sound of his name. "What're you doing here?" he asked the pink-haired girl. "Did you get lost?"

"_You're_ the one who's lost, you idiot swordsman!" she yelled indignantly, only to have him stare blandly back at her.

She took a deep breath to compose herself, reminding herself that it would be useless to get mad because, more likely than not, she'd be doing this again tomorrow…if not later today. Unfortunately, fetching Zoro had become a normal part of her daily life on this island. She'd usually have to do it whenever he failed to show up at meal times or, as was with this case, when he wouldn't show up for training and Mihawk would curtly tell her to go find him. She just couldn't understand how he had managed to survive this long with that messed up sense of direction. It was so bad she bet he could get lost out here just trying to take a trip to the bathroom.

"Let's just go back," Perona said tiredly. "Hawk-Eyes is waiting for you. Follow me." She began floating in the direction of the castle. Just to be sure he understood, she looked over her shoulder at him. And, boy, was she glad she did. "Hey! What part of 'follow me' do you not understand?"

Zoro, who was veering off to a path on his right, turned and gave her an irritated look. "I _am_ following you."

She wanted to cry. "It's this way, moron! _This way!_"

He heaved a sigh. "I don't know why you're always getting so worked up," he commented with what sounded very suspiciously like pity in his voice.

She _really_ wanted to cry. Not only was he incapable of doing something as simple as following her, he apparently had no idea that _he_ was the one with a major debilitating issue…one that she was beginning to think might actually be some kind of medical condition. She heaved a morose sigh of her own. "I swear…guiding your way is harder than trying to herd sheep."

"Did you say something?" Zoro asked as he trailed behind her, unaware of her deteriorating mood.

"No…nothing," she said with resignation. "So, what were you doing out here anyway?" she inquired in hopes of changing the subject.

"Just thought I'd go use the bathroom before training."

Perona turned around and gawked at him with her round, wide, and completely shocked eyes. Then she simply broke into uncontrollable laughter. With one hand holding her belly, she ignored the swordsman's questions about what it was that she had found so funny as the sound of her peculiar laugh echoed throughout the forest.

When she finally calmed down, she wiped a tear from her eye. She hadn't been this amused in a long time.

* * *

"…then the princess looked upon the three suitors who had come before her. They were all princes from neighboring kingdoms, equally handsome and equally gifted in the way of the sword. She was unable to decide which to choose…"

Lying on his bed with his eyes remaining stubbornly shut, Zoro desperately tried to remain in a state of unconsciousness.

"…Her father, the king, then suggested that they each present a symbol of their love to her, and she could make her decision based on that. Thinking it was a splendid idea, the princess accepted…"

He furrowed his brows, feeling like he was fighting a losing war against that voice that kept pulling him back towards wakefulness.

"…The first prince brought out a diamond the size of a person's fist and gifted it to the lovely princess. The second prince bestowed upon her a flask filled with water from the Fountain of Eternal Beauty. The third prince took a knife to his chest and carved out his own heart, holding it out to her in his hand…"

He grumbled as he attempted to reign in his annoyance.

"…Moved by the third prince's heartfelt gesture, the princess decided to marry him. The two were immediately wed. However, without a heart, the prince dropped dead right after the ceremony, leaving the princess a widow and the inheritor of his kingdom. The end. Horo-horo-horo-horo!"

He gave up. "WHAT THE _HELL_ KINDA STORY ARE YOU READING?!"

Sitting in an armchair by Zoro's bed with an old book she had found in the castle's library, Perona blinked. "What're you doing awake? You're supposed to be sleeping."

"How can anyone sleep with you reading that crappy horror romance nonsense?!" he seethed. It pissed him off that he was so injured and bandaged up that he couldn't sit up to tell her off properly.

"It's humor," she corrected. "A girl's gotta find a way to pass the time, you know."

"Then go pass it somewhere else!" he grounded out irritatingly.

"I can't watch over you if I'm somewhere else," she pointed out flatly.

"I didn't ask you to watch over me, damn it!"

"Is this your way of thanking someone who's kindhearted enough to make sure that you don't stupidly die in your sleep?" she inquired with a frown.

He glared. "Got a problem with it?"

"You are so not cute!" She huffed an exasperated breath then closed the book and set it aside dejectedly. "Fine. I won't read." She pulled her feet up onto the chair and wrapped her arms around her legs, proceeding to sit quietly.

When the silence dragged on, Zoro clicked his tongue, feeling uncomfortable for a completely different reason. Now she was just creeping him out with the way she was staring at him without making a single move. "You're not going to leave, are you?" he deadpanned.

"No," she said with quiet defiance.

It wasn't like he really needed to be watched over. Vaguely, he recalled her complaints in the early days about not wanting to be alone. "Where's Hawk-Eyes?"

"Don't know. He left this morning and just said he'll be back by the time your wounds are healed," she informed, the despondence still evident in her voice.

They were the only two people on the island right now. That must be why she was sticking to him like glue. What a bother. Zoro heaved an internal sigh. "You can do or not do whatever the hell you want," he finally said. "Just let me sleep."

Perona brightened as she reached for the book again, feeling victorious that she had won this round. "Here, I'll let you choose the next story," she offered graciously. "The Screaming Beauty…The Humandrill's Paw…or The Princess Who Lived in a Coffin?"

He frowned. "Can't you read in silence?" They all sounded stupid.

"Honestly…you really don't know anything, do you?" she said with a shake of her head. "You have to read it out loud in order to fully appreciate the depth of the tales."

"Whatever," he mumbled, deciding it was useless to argue.

When Perona resumed her reading, Zoro made a mental note to get himself a pair of earplugs as he fought to tune her out.

* * *

Sitting alone at the long table in a grand dining room befitting an old castle, Mihawk held a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other, patiently waiting for dinner to be served. When Zoro entered, he spared the younger swordsman a glance. "You didn't cook tonight." It was really more of a statement than a question.

Zoro, who had one arm in a cast and sling, took a seat at the table before giving his short reply. "Nope."

Cooking had been an adventure all on its own. In the beginning, when Zoro was still recovering from the battle wounds he received on Sabaody Archipelago, Perona was the one who had prepared and brought food to him. However, since the Ghost Princess used to live a relatively pampered life, she had no culinary skills and the food she made was terrible. Not only was all meat indiscernible, eating it was akin to eating cardboard. The vegetables were simply boiled and had no taste.

As soon as Zoro was able, he had taken over. His version of cooking was to hunt something from the forest and cook it over a campfire. It was quick. It was easy. But even though it tasted much better, Perona would complain about how unrefined those meals were.

Things changed again once Mihawk had returned to the island. He had the two youngsters follow him to the library where he had pulled out a number of cookbooks, dropped them into their arms, and told them to figure it out. Neither Zoro nor Perona had complained much about it. They were the freeloaders, after all, and, in Zoro's case, the disciple. So, they had therefore taken on the cooking along with various other chores.

Zoro, who actually knew a thing or two about cooking but was just too lazy about it, had taken the lead while Perona would assist. It had taken some trial and error, but they started to get the hang of it over time. More often than not, she would try to arrange the food that he had cooked into some cute fashion on the plate, and they would have an argument over it. Since Zoro was the one who generally did most of the work, he would usually get his way on this battlefield. However, on days like today when his injuries from his training would be so severe that he can't cook, everything would be left in Perona's hands.

"I see," Mihawk said apathetically. "So, we'll be having that again."

"Yup," Zoro confirmed, equally unenthused.

Before long, Perona entered, pushing a dinner cart. She then proudly presented the food to the swordsmen as she set their plates down before them.

Zoro and Mihawk stared down at their plates. There was a mystery meat patty made into the shape of a bear's head with cut vegetable pieces forming the eyes, nose, and mouth. Beside it was the mashed potatoes shaped into the form of one of her ghosts, once again with vegetable facial features, holding an umbrella made out of tomato slices over the bear's head. Both men heaved a sigh as they deadpanned in unison. "…Kiddy meal."

"It's not a kiddy meal!" the pink-haired girl defended between clenched teeth. How many times did she have to repeat this? "It's culinary art! It's presentation! When the food looks good, it'll increase your appetite. Isn't that right?"

Both men just kept looking at their food with sullen expressions, giving a noncommittal grunt as their only reply.

* * *

As usual, Perona sat atop an oversized chunk of fallen stone wall among the ruins as she watched the two swordsmen's training session. It was actually difficult for her to remain seated, because the idiot was prone to doing idiotic things. It seemed he had little regard for self-preservation and would always take what she perceived to be unnecessary risks. And because he was that kind of fool, it was virtually impossible for her to remain quiet during these matches.

"Why didn't you dodge, you imbecile!" she hollered after watching Zoro attempt to parry a blow from Mihawk that, at this point in time, he had no chance of blocking and ended up taking a major hit to his right shoulder.

The green-haired swordsman grumbled as he rushed towards his opponent, taking the offensive. "Shut up! I'll dodge when I want to!"

"You should dodge when you _need_ to, dimwit!"

Zoro groaned irritably as he continued to fight. Why must she always buzz around like a fly during these training sessions? "Tell her to stop interfering!" he said to the Shichibukai with a death glare.

"There are plenty of distractions on a real battlefield," Mihawk replied apathetically as he easily avoided another one of Zoro's attacks. "Consider it a part of your training." There was truth in his words, of course. However, even though he'd never admit it, a part of him found the youngsters' bickering somewhat amusing.

Since it would just be a waste of his breath, Zoro refrained from retorting. Instead, he refocused on the movement of their blades. Well…at least he tried to. It was hard when he could see Perona in his peripheral vision looking like she was about to say something with every other move he made. She was too pink and noticeable. He wished she could blend into her surroundings a bit more.

The Ghost Princess watched on in tense silence until she couldn't hold her tongue anymore. "That was an easy one!" she called out with frustration. Really. How could he let Mihawk get him with that simple attack? "Pay attention!"

"Then stop distracting me!" He really wanted to wring her neck right about now.

"I haven't even said anything till just now, you jerk! Don't blame your screw-ups on me!" Just then, it looked like Mihawk was about to slice Zoro's head off, and Perona's mood suddenly swung from anger to worry. "Hey, watch out!"

Zoro blocked with the sword in his left hand and retaliated with the blade in his right. "Just leave already!" Her time would be _much_ better spent practicing how to stop turning meat into cardboard.

Perona gasped with indignation. "Is that how you treat someone who's concerned about your wellbeing?! Argh!"

"Got a problem with it?!"

"NOT CUTE!"

In this way, Zoro continued to fight two battles simultaneously, one with blades and the other with words, until he collapsed and could no longer get back up on his feet.

Perona hopped down from her perch and rushed to the fallen man. "Oi! Are you alive?" He was unconscious, but at least he was breathing. After breathing a sigh of relief, she immediately rounded on Mihawk. "Are you trying to _kill_ him?! Can't you go just a bit easier on him until he's up to your level?"

"This is what he wants," Mihawk replied composedly, completely unaffected by her agitation. "Going easier on him will accomplish nothing."

"But still! It's—"

"If you don't fix him now, he will bleed out," he informed, matter-of-fact.

Perona gritted her teeth, wanting to screech, throw things, and stomp her feet. However, being the only sensible person on the island, she did what she must. Throwing one of Zoro's arms over her shoulder, she proceeded to drag him back to the castle, all the while muttering curses about moronically un-cute and tyrannically un-cute swordsmen.

* * *

"Should I get this one…or this one?" she asked, dangling a small chain with a decorative silver bat from one hand and a chain with a silver bear from the other hand.

"I don't care. Just hurry it up, will you? This stuff's heavy," he grumbled as he adjusted the large sack he was carrying on his shoulder.

Zoro and Perona were currently on a supplies run to one of Kuraigana's neighboring islands. It was a trip they would make regularly as required to stock up on various things.

As usual, Perona had insisted that they stop at this trinkets shop. Each time they came to this island, she would purchase a small and, more importantly, cute decorative charm from this place. However, more often than not, she would become indecisive after narrowing her choices down to two or three, and she would ask him to help her choose.

"I wouldn't be asking you if I could decide," the pink-haired girl said, twisting her lips as she studied the objects dangling from her hands.

He rolled his eyes. "Look. If you're going to be here for a while, then I'll go pick up the rest of the things on my own." It would save time.

"NO!" Alarmed, she quickly grabbed onto the fabric of his sleeve, fearful to lose sight of him. She did _not_ want to spend half a day tracking him down again like that other time. "Just help me out, and we'll be done here," she said, trying to persuade him from wandering off.

"Why are you asking _me_?" he inquired, equally irked and bewildered. If she were asking him to help her choose a sword, then, yes, it would make sense. But he didn't know the first thing about decorative, and therefore basically useless, charms. Nor did he want to.

She blinked. It was her turn to be puzzled, wondering why he didn't know. "I just thought you might have a sense for these things."

"What?" he asked with irritation. Was she implying that he had a sense for girly things?

She shrugged. "Your earrings. I think they're—"

"If you say they're cute, I'll gut you open right here, right now," he told her in a low, threatening voice.

She stared at him as she bit the inside of her lips to suppress her smile. "I was going to say stylish, but if you prefer cu—"

"Fine, whatever," he cut in, not allowing her to finish _that_ particular thought. "This one." He pointed to the bat. If it would help shorten the process, then he'd just pick one.

"Aww…but the bear's really cute…" she said with disappointment.

"If you're not going to take my opinion, then don't ask me, damn it!" he exploded. Not to mention, she already got at least four other bear things from this place.

"Fine, I'll get this one," she conceded as she placed the bear down with a small pout and headed to the cashier's counter. Then she smiled. "That means I'll come back for the bear next time. Horo-horo-horo-horo!"

Zoro cursed under his breath. What the hell was the point of them wasting all that time here if she had planned to get both anyway?

* * *

Perona poked her head through the stone wall to check on the recuperating Zoro. The sight of him already standing and doing stretches put a frown of disapproval on her features. She floated into the room. "What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting!"

He threw her a dark glare. "Where are my swords?"

"I hid them," she replied in a breezy tone, smiling without any trace of guilt. Mihawk had made it quite clear that, with the injuries he had sustained from yesterday's session, Zoro would be unfit for training for a while, even going as far as to say that he won't cross blades with the younger swordsman for at least three days. However, knowing Zoro, he probably wouldn't take the hint and insist on doing some personal training in the interim…or even go pick fights with the Humandrills. So, she had taken the liberty of hiding his weapons from him.

"Give them back," he demanded evenly, not breaking from his stretching routine.

"You don't need them right now," she retorted.

"If you don't give them back, you'll regret it."

She folded her arms defiantly. "No."

He finally turned to her then, a devious grin spreading across his features.

She shrank back reflexively. "Wh…what're you scheming, idiot swordsman?"

Suddenly springing into action, he ran past her and was out the door in the blink of an eye. How he was able to move that quickly and fluidly with all those injuries, she would never know.

"Oi!" With a sinking feeling in her gut, she followed him out into the hallway and into her room which was directly across the hall from his. To her astonishment, she arrived just in time to see that idiot standing by the window with one foot already stepping on the windowsill and _her_ precious body carelessly tossed over one shoulder. That ingrate even had the audacity to smirk at her…_smirk_ at her…before jumping out of the window!

Perona's jaws dropped, and she was momentarily frozen dumbstruck. That ruffian just _kidnapped_ her body! She came back to her senses and floated over to the window. It was a long drop to the forest below, and she couldn't locate him through all the trees. Without delay, she floated out and gave chase, screaming at the top of her lungs. "ZORO, YOU BASTARD! GET YOUR SORRY ASS BACK HERE!"

She had to admit that he had astounding physical stamina and capability. He could run faster than her astral projection could fly, even when injured. She couldn't catch up. By the time she finally located him, he was standing in the middle of a clearing with his arms crossed as though waiting for her, a self-satisfied smug look on his face. Her body was nowhere in sight.

"What have you done with my body!" she screeched anxiously.

"I hid it," the green-haired man replied easily.

He did _not_ just say that. "You WHAT?"

"Return my swords, and I'll give you your body back," he bargained. It was really just that simple.

"Show me my body first!"

Zoro raised a brow. "So, we have a deal?"

"Yes! Whatever!" She was far too concerned for her own wellbeing to argue. "Can you even _find_ your way back to wherever you've left me?!"

He heaved a small sigh at her lack of faith. "Just follow me."

(Three hours later…)

"It should be just this way," Zoro said, leading the way.

Floating behind the directionally challenged swordsman, Perona was literally in tears. "Waaaaaaaaah! We've looked everywhere! Even my Ghost Network can't find it!"

"Your Ghost Network won't spot it," he said, matter-of-fact. "It's underground."

She fell silent. "…it's what?"

"I buried it underground," he reiterated.

At that very moment, Perona realized her predicament was exponentially worse than she had originally thought. "You…YOU BURIED ME UNDERGROUND?! WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO _DO_ SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!" She tried to glare a hole through the back of his head.

He clicked his tongue in agitation. "It's what you do when you hide stuff. Besides, something might come and eat you if I'd just left you lying around somewhere."

"But if you bury me in dirt, I'm going to SUFFOCATE, you ignoramus!" She was going to die, wasn't she? Buried alive in some random part of the forest without even a tombstone to let anyone know where the heck she was.

"Don't worry about it," he said, sounding far too relaxed for her liking. "I got it covered. I rolled up a big leaf and stuck it in your mouth for you to breathe through before throwing the dirt over your face."

She wasn't sure which was worse…the fact that she was now sucking on a dirty leaf-straw or that he had been assaulting her face with dirt. Then she paled as she realized something else. "There're so many bugs and worms in the ground! They're going to be crawling all over me! Waaaaaaah!" She had every right to throw a fit at this point. "We have to find me quick! You must have left some sort of marker or something, right?"

"Of course. What do you take me for?"

"What is it? Tell me so I know what to look for!"

"The rolled-up leaf sticking out of the ground."

"…" Perona clenched her fists and her teeth, trembling from barely contained anger. A small rolled-up green leaf in the ground of a vast forest filled with plenty of other green leaves and grass? Wasn't that like trying to find a needle in a hay stack? And he actually thought that that would work? "I…I can't believe you…" She was so livid, her voice was shaking. There really was only so much ridiculous crap she could take in one go. "NEGATIVE HOLLOW!"

Zoro dropped to his hands and knees. "I'm worth less than the gum on the bottom of someone's shoe…I shouldn't be allowed to live…"

"NEGATIVE HOLLOW!"

"There's no meaning to my life…I want to be a tick…"

"NEGATIVE HOLLOW! NEGATIVE HOLLOW! NEGATIVE HOLLOW!"

In the end, they had searched until after sunrise the next morning before they were finally able to find Perona's body. When they returned to the castle, the Ghost Princess did not return the swords as agreed. Zoro didn't make a fuss about it.

* * *

Sitting on the stone floor with his back against the foot of Perona's bed, Zoro held the sake bottle to his lips and tipped his head back, savoring the taste of the potent liquid. Perched upon her bed with a needle and thread in hand and various fabrics and materials spread out all around her, Perona was in the process of making a plush doll to add to her growing collection of stuffed animals sitting in the corner of her room. The two of them were sitting together in companionable silence, taking a respite from the usual bickering.

Somewhere in the back of Zoro's mind, it had occurred to him how odd it was for him to be so casually lounging around in a girl's room. However, Perona would be in his quarters so often that there really was no novelty to being alone with her in a bedroom. Whether it was his or hers really made little difference.

"What do you think?" Perona asked, her head suddenly appearing beside Zoro's. Lying on her stomach, propping her chin up on one elbow, she proudly held her finished work out for him to see with the other hand.

He took one look…and frowned. "What the hell is this?"

She gave him a dry look. "It's you. Can't you tell?"

"Of course, I can tell!" He hated to admit it, but the thing actually looked like him…which was why he was annoyed. "What the hell do you think you're doing, turning me into a doll?!" Where the heck was his dignity?

She shrugged. "I got tired of making stuffed animals."

"Well then make stuffed something else!" he griped. "Don't be making a stuffed Zoro! Burn that thing!"

"No! I made it! It's _mine_!" She glared poisonously at him, silently warning him that there will definitely be dire consequences if he should attempt to take it by force.

After a brief glaring contest, he narrowed his eyes. "You're going to curse me with that thing, aren't you?"

She quirked a brow in perplexity. "What? No, I don't do curses, idiot swordsman." She was the Ghost Princess, not the Voodoo Princess. Then she brightened. "I made one of Hawk-Eyes, too," she announced as she produced a second doll, holding it out with her other hand. "See!"

Zoro spared it a glance and rolled his eyes with a sigh. They were great swordsmen. Pirates! Men to be feared! And here she was, happily stripping them of their pride without a care. He took another swig from the sake bottle in hopes that it would help wash down his irritation.

Perona flipped over to lie on her back. Holding both arms straight up above her, she looked at the pair of miniature stuffed swordsmen in her hands thoughtfully. "Hey…do you ever think how strange it is?"

"How strange what is?" the green-haired man inquired half-heartedly as he continued to drink, not really paying attention.

"The three of us winding up together," she clarified. It wasn't something that either one of them had planned or wanted. She and Zoro had, by chance, been sent flying to the same place by Bartholomew Kuma, and Mihawk had simply come home one day to find a couple of uninvited guests. They didn't have any obligations to each other. In fact, there should have been animosity. The Straw Hats were the ones who had destroyed her life on Thriller Bark. Mihawk, she had discovered, was the one who had given Zoro that really nasty how-was-it-possible-he-didn't-die-from-it scar across his torso. And Zoro's long standing goal had been to defeat Mihawk and take his place as the world's greatest swordsman. Nevertheless, despite all that, the three of them had stuck together. They had developed something of a rhythm around each other and were actually functioning as a unit, as peculiar as it was.

Zoro stared at the wall ahead. He never really bothered thinking about such things, though he supposed he understood what she was talking about. He never thought that his crew would suffer the kind of defeat that they had and end up getting separated. He never thought that Luffy would have to try to rescue, and ultimately lose, his brother without any of them by his side. He never thought that he would bow down to Mihawk and ask to be trained by him in order to prevent anything like this from ever happening again. And he never thought that he'd be able to spend almost every waking moment with this very pink and exasperating fan of cuteness without going crazy. "It's just fate," he finally said.

Now hugging her new toys, Perona stared up at the ceiling as she tried to process his words. _Fate, huh?_ "And?" She craned her neck to look at him, curious. "Do you like your fate?"

He looked over his shoulder at her, a smirk gracing his lips. "I don't hate it."

She turned her eyes back up to the ceiling, blinking contemplatively as she asked herself the same question. True, she had been dealt a strange hand, but…it really wasn't all that bad. She closed her eyes, a small smile gracing her lips. "What do you know?...There's finally something we agree on."

* * *

Their days continued in much the same way. Before they knew it, two years came and went…

* * *

A/N: So, that's chapter one. Hope you liked! It was originally meant to be a one-shot, but it got too long, so it'll be chopped into three chapters.

It was about half a year ago when I had mentioned that this little story was 'coming together'. But of course, it's like some cosmic rule that whenever you say something like that, life would get busy and make it impossible for anything to come together. XD But now I can finally get it out of my system.

Ah, I seem to be writing for pairings that are getting farther and farther away from 'mainstream'… There are currently under 30 stories devoted to this fandom. LOL! I wonder if anyone will even read this. Heh. If you do, please review for moral support! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Oda Eiichiro.

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

When their two transitional years on Kuraigana Island ended, Zoro and Perona went their separate ways. The time had come for them to return to their normal lives and pick up where they'd left off…

* * *

For Zoro, returning to his normal life meant reuniting with his crew and continuing on their journey. It was comforting to be back on the Sunny. He had missed it.

He missed seeing the confident grin on Luffy's face and was relieved that it was still there despite Ace's passing. He missed Chopper's professional medical attention…a lot. He missed Sanji's cooking, although he would never admit it even under the threat of extreme torture and death. He missed everyone's crazy antics and Robin's quiet companionship as the only other sane person on the ship observing the continually unfolding craziness. He missed life on the open sea.

And as absurd as it might sound, Zoro even missed fighting with Sanji over nothing and everything…an activity he was currently engaged in.

Watching his opponent coming down on him from above with his heel first, Zoro crossed his blades above his head and braced for impact. Sanji stepped on the blades then, using them as a spring board, jumped back with an aerial back flip before landing gracefully upon the ship's deck.

"Oi, oi, oi," the blonde said lackadaisically as he placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. "Weren't you supposedly doing some special training the past two years?" he asked as he exhaled a puff of smoke. "What's with those weak ass attacks?"

"Don't talk like you're better than me, Seven," the swordsman retorted, matching the cook's nonchalance.

"You're _still_ going on about that Seven thing?!" Sanji interjected fumingly. "That was _weeks_ ago!" It was starting to get old.

Zoro ignored his outburst and continued. "As far as I can tell, all _you_ did was learn how to jump higher than before and stay in the air longer. Congratulations. You got better at running away."

"What was that, you shitty swordsman?!" Sanji exploded. What sucked was that he couldn't deny that he really _had_ picked up that particular technique because he had been running for his life and, more importantly, his manhood. So, he replied with action, kicking their match back into high gear. With his agitation feeding into his adrenalin, he actually scored a hit, grazing his opponent's cheek.

"_That was an easy one! You could have avoided it! Pay attention, dumbass!"_

Zoro scowled at that routine comment even as he retaliated. "Shut up and mind your own damn business!"

Sanji quirked a brow as he sidestepped the attack, caught between confusion and indignation. "…the _hell_ are you talking about, you shitty Marimo?"

The swordsman faltered as though suddenly remembering where he was. "Nothing," he said with a deepening scowl, determined to continue with their sparring match. It wasn't like he wasn't holding his own, but the moment he took another hit, he heard it again.

"_You idiot! Only an imbecile would pull something so rash!"_

Irritated, Zoro couldn't help but respond. "Butt out! Nobody asked you!"

Sanji clicked his tongue and frowned. "I didn't say anything! Do you need your ears checked?"

This time, Zoro stopped. He eased up from his fighting stance and returned his blades back to their sheaths. Without giving any explanation, he simply declared, "I'm done."

The cook's expression morphed from annoyance to perplexity before settling on a smug grin. "Admitting defeat?"

"If it'll make you feel better, Pirate A."

"Oi! What's with that damn patronizing attitude?!" Sanji griped irascibly. "And that Pirate A thing was _years_ ago! Stop recycling outdated insults!"

"Got a problem with it?" the swordsman inquired, looking decidedly blasé.

"_You are so not cute."_

Zoro closed his eyes as he heaved an exasperated breath. Tuning out whatever the outraged Sanji was still hollering at him, he simply walked away. This wasn't the first time he had heard Perona's voice in his head. It was as though, after two years of having her buzzing around him on a constant basis, he had somehow been _conditioned_ to hear her voice even though she wasn't there, responding to things in the way that he had come to know she would. It was something of a mystery to him, and it bothered him that he couldn't figure out what the heck was going on.

* * *

For Perona, picking up where she'd left off meant continuing to search for the place where she could belong to, a place to consider home. After leaving Sabaody Archipelago, she had traveled a bit on her own, hopping from island to island. Though, if she were honest with herself, it felt more like she was aimlessly moving around, merely going through the motions.

The truth was, she didn't know where to go. None of the places she'd been to seemed quite right. None of the pirate crews she'd come across even came close to fitting with her style. So, in the end, she wound up making her way back here…to Thriller Bark.

She took her time as she walked through the place she had once called home, taking a stroll down memory lane. She wasn't surprised when she found Thriller Bark deserted. However, even if it hadn't been, she wasn't sure she would want to make this place her home again. Perhaps it was because she had changed and matured in the last two years, but she no longer found the Thriller Bark lifestyle suitable. Before, she had been content to simply have zombie servants do her bidding. Now, she wanted something more real. She would always be grateful to Moria for keeping her under his wing for so long, but she had moved on.

The only question was…what had she moved on to?

In this regard, she rather envied that idiot, Zoro. He had a goal. He knew where he was going. He had people waiting for him. She didn't have any of those things. She was alone, and she had nowhere to go.

Well…that might not be entirely true…

Rounding a corner, Perona brightened when she finally came across what she had been looking for. "Kumashi!" The large stuffed bear was lying on the floor, lifeless but intact.

The pink-haired girl went to its side as she began to brush away the two years' worth of dust that had been collecting on the bear. Once finished, she heaved a sigh and stared at the bear with glazed over eyes. Eventually, after thinking long and hard, her lips tilted up slightly in a small smile with an uncertainty that was so foreign on her features. "So, Kumashi…how would you like to come with me?...back to Kuraigana Island?"

If she really thought about it…perhaps the reason why she hadn't been able to find a place for herself was simply because, somewhere in the back of her mind, she had already decided on the perfect place.

* * *

It was a good couple of months after the Straw Hats had regrouped when Sanji finally decided to broach the subject of Zoro's odd behavior with their crew's physician. Dinner had just wrapped up, and most of them had already dispersed from the kitchen. After washing the dishes, the cook went over to the dining table to join the reindeer who was wiping down the table. "So, tell me, Chopper…what do you think is going on with that shitty swordsman?"

Chopper blinked up at Sanji, his eyes filled with innocence. "What do you mean?"

"He's been acting kind of strange these days," the cook elaborated.

"Ah, I know what you're talking about," Chopper replied with a nod of comprehension, "but…I don't know what's going on. Zoro hasn't said anything to me about it." He gave it another moment's contemplation before adding, "I'm a bit worried, though."

Sitting at the far end of the dining table with a book and her after dinner coffee, Robin looked up and listened with interest. She, too, knew of the issue they were currently discussing. Most likely, with the exception of Luffy, everyone in the crew had some inkling of it as well.

Usopp, who had been mopping the kitchen floor, suddenly abandoned his mop and joined the table. "You're talking about how he talks to himself and stuff, right? I've seen it, too!" he contributed with exaggerated distress. "There was this one time he stepped on a bug. Then he started saying something like, 'It's just a cockroach, damn it! Stop screaming!' But there wasn't anybody there! Nobody was screaming!"

Normally, the others would assume Usopp was lying, or at the very least bending the truth. However, since they had all witnessed something similar at one time or another, nobody questioned the sharp shooter this time.

"Remember our fight at the last island?" Chopper began, adding his own story to the discussion. "Zoro suffered some pretty heavy injuries, and I had him recuperate in the sick bay for a few days. Every so often, he would toss and turn in his sleep. Whenever he does that, he would tell me to stop reading, mumbling something about how I was bothering him or he needed ear plugs."

"Let me guess," Sanji said dryly. "You weren't reading or even talking at the time."

Chopper shook his head solemnly in confirmation.

The cook took a long drag of his cigarette before exhaling heavily. "That settles it. That Marimo's gone crazy."

"He spent two years with that Shichibukai, Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, right?" Usopp voiced as he leaned over the table, eyes darting between the three others present. "Maybe the training was too rough, and it knocked a few screws loose. I mean…he came back with one eye missing! Who knows? Maybe that Hawk-Eyes is actually a lunatic, and being stuck with him gave Zoro a mental meltdown!" The swordsman had never given any details about his solo adventure away from the crew. Perhaps it was something that was too horrible to describe in words!

"This could be problematic," Robin said, far too calmly. "If Zoro has developed some psychological issue that escalates, he could easily slit all of our throats in our sleep one night without us suspecting anything."

"Rooobiiiiiin!" Usopp whined pleadingly with tears in his eyes. "Stop saying scary things!"

"So, Chopper," Sanji said. "Any ideas?"

"Eh? Well…" The little reindeer scratched the back of his head with a troubled sigh. "I'm not a psychologist." Psychology was _not_ his area of expertise. "But…let's just keep an eye on him for now. I'll see what I can do."

* * *

With her long pink locks wound up into a loose bun, Perona leaned back against the tub with a soft sigh. After a long trip, it felt wonderful to soak in a hot bath in her own bathroom again.

Her bathroom. Connected to her bedroom. In the old castle. On Kuraigana Island.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, she had come to perceive this place as home.

On the day she left the island, all she had said to Mihawk was that she would take Zoro to Sabaody Archipelago. She never really said whether she would return or if she was leaving for good. Likewise, the master swordsman didn't ask about it, nor did he tell her not to return. They had both left it wide open and completely ambiguous. Therefore, Perona had no idea whether Mihawk even wanted her to return or not and couldn't help but feel the gut wrenching nervousness upon her return.

However, when he saw her walking into the castle, he acted as though she had just returned from a routine outing. All he did was ask her when dinner was going to be ready. With that sort of greeting, the only way she could respond was with a complaint about being treated like a servant. And just like that, he had simply accepted. He didn't make a big deal out of it. Then again, he hadn't made a big deal out of it that first time when he had come home to find that she and Zoro had taken over the place and made themselves comfortable. She supposed that was his style, and she was grateful.

It was strange to think how she had made the transition from being a commander on Thriller Bark with plenty of servants attending to her every need to being a personal assistant, medic, and aide of two idiot swordsmen on a lonely island without too much trouble. Thinking back, despite all the head butting, she had slipped into her role much more smoothly than she had thought possible. She kind of missed those days.

It was certainly good to be back, but just being here didn't mean that everything was going to be the same. Now that Zoro wasn't here anymore, she was going to have to find some other way to occupy her time.

Idly, she wondered what that idiot was up to right now. He was probably having the time of his life now that he was back with the crew he was so fond of. He was probably filling his stomach up with more booze than food. He was probably happily getting himself even more cut up. He was probably getting himself lost…then telling everybody else that they went the wrong way. He was probably…somewhere far away…

Perona heaved a heavier sigh this time. "It's definitely going to be a lot quieter around here…"

* * *

"Care for a break?"

Zoro turned from his weight lifting to find that Robin had joined him in the crow's nest. Standing behind her, looking as though he was trying to hide behind her but failing, was Chopper. It was unusual for anyone except Luffy to come up here and pull him away from his training routine. "Is something the matter?"

Chopper tightened his grip on Robin's leg nervously, but Robin simply smiled her poker face smile and held up a bottle and a pair of cups. "We brought sake." She knew that if they wanted to get Zoro to sit down and talk, they'd have to provide the proper incentive. Sitting on the bench along the windows, she filled the cups and held one out for the swordsman to take.

After a few moments' deliberation, Zoro put down his dumbbells, grabbed a towel off the rack, accepted the proffered alcohol, and took a seat on the bench as well.

Chopper grinned brightly as he went to join his crewmates, plopping down on the floor beside them. _Thank you, Robin!_ He had picked up a book about psychology at the last port and read up on it. However, since this was a touchy subject, he wasn't sure how to get the conversation started with Zoro. So, he had asked Robin to help him out and be his moral support.

"So, what's up?" the swordsman inquired again after downing his drink. He wasn't about to believe that this was just some random drinking session.

Robin shrugged lightly in response, still smiling as she spoke conversationally. "You seem distracted lately."

Zoro quirked a brow, honestly confused. "What do you mean?"

"You've been talking to yourself a lot," Chopper said with a worried frown. "And you seem to…see things that…aren't there." He fidgeted a bit. The book said that he had to get the patient to talk about his thoughts and feelings in order to figure out what the issue was, so that's what he was going to do. "Is there something bothering you, Zoro?"

"Oh…that," Zoro replied flatly with an annoyed frown of his own. "I'm not seeing anything."

"I see…" Chopper said slowly. Was he in denial?

"I'm just hearing things," the swordsman continued.

"EH?" Chopper's eyes nearly popped out. He was admitting to it? Just like that? That was unexpected.

"I'm getting used to it, so it's not an issue," Zoro finished as he poured himself another cup of sake.

"Isn't that…an odd solution?" Robin asked. Wouldn't one normally want something like that to stop?

"Well, unless I know how to ward off ghosts, I got nothing," Zoro replied, still maintaining a blasé tone of voice. After much contemplation, he had come to the conclusion that this bizarre phenomenon must be the work of Perona's Devil Fruit powers. She was the Ghost Princess, wasn't she? So, this must be some long range technique she had never told him about. The next time he ran into her, he was going to have a bone to pick with that woman. What did he ever do to warrant this long distance annoyance?

"EH?" Chopper was freaking out now for a whole new reason. "There are ghosts on the ship?"

"Don't worry," Zoro reassured as he downed another cup. "She won't bother you." It seemed like she just got a kick out of irritating him.

"You're being haunted, and it's a she?" Robin asked, amused despite the swordsman's predicament. "Sounds interesting."

At that moment, Chopper turned around and pulled out his trusty book, frantically flipping through the pages. He almost let his fear detract him. There weren't ghosts on the ship. Zoro was hallucinating. And if he thought the ghost was after him and nobody else, then maybe he was having some delusions as well. Finally finding the page he was looking for, he began skimming through it at the speed of light. Just as he thought, hallucinations and delusions were both symptoms of schizophrenia. _Oh, no! What if Zoro has schizophrenia?_

The reindeer launched himself at the swordsman with tears streaming down his face. "Waaaah! Zoro! Don't worry! I'll definitely help you!" Then he detached himself and ran away.

Zoro watched Chopper make his hasty exit with bemusement. "What's he all worked up about?"

"…Perhaps he went to see if Brook could offer any advice about warding off ghosts," Robin offered as cover.

"Ah, good thinking." The thought of consulting their crew's walking skeleton had never crossed his mind.

Robin smiled, silently relieved that he bought the excuse. "More sake?"

* * *

"I see there's an overflow of…_greenery_ in your room."

Perona looked up to find Mihawk standing at her bedroom door, eyes sweeping over the piles of pint-sized plush Zoro dolls lying everywhere. Clumped together in groups, they really did appear like moss balls to his eyes.

"He's just a lot easier to make than you are," the pink-haired girl replied nonchalantly. Even now, she was sitting on her bed in the process of sewing together yet another Zoro doll to add to her ever growing collection. "Your clothes are too flashy and intricate. It takes too long to make."

The Shichibukai raised his brow minutely as his eyes picked out the considerably much fewer dolls of himself mixed into the piles. That wasn't the point he was trying to make. Not to mention, he didn't particularly like the idea of her making dolls of him…especially since they all had a pin jabbed into one of their eyes, a silent though not subtle expression that Perona was still upset with him about Zoro's eye injury.

"If there's somewhere you wish to go, then you should go," he said. She wasn't obligated to remain here. Besides, it was unproductive simply sitting here making replicas of what she wanted.

"No. I'm fine right where I am," she replied distractedly, most of her attention still devoted to her task as she carefully tied the mini bandana to the arm of the green-haired doll. "My life's been a lot less troublesome now that I don't have to look after the idiot anymore."

"You seem to have picked up someone's stubbornness," he observed dryly.

"I'm being honest," she retorted with a light shrug. "I don't have any reason to go anywhere." And that was the truth.

Even if she could admit to herself that she kind of missed having Zoro here to yell at and argue with, she had no real reason to go seek him out. He was on a journey with his crew. She wasn't a part of that crew, nor did she particularly want to be. She didn't share in their goals. So, even if she were to find Zoro, what would she do then? She had no purpose where he was right now.

She was more useful here by Mihawk's side. Upon her return to the island, she had discovered that all of their supplies, with the exception of wine, were either out or running extremely low. There was dust everywhere, even in places that were always in use. A mountain of laundry had accumulated, and the kitchen sink was overflowing with dirty dishes; the only things that got washed were the wine glasses. While she couldn't imagine the greatest swordsman in the world doing chores, it still begged the question…how had he survived before she and Zoro had dropped in on him?

Mihawk shook his head with a short amused chuckle, understanding that she would not be persuaded. "Suit yourself." Now, onto the main topic. "We need more wine."

Perona rolled her eyes. "I knew you had a reason for coming up here."

* * *

Without either Zoro or Perona realizing it, their definition of normalcy had somehow evolved. Picking up where they'd left off wasn't quite turning out the way they'd thought it would…

* * *

A/N: So, I guess this is sort of like the intermission chapter. It was actually kinda hard to write, because I don't have much for this part of the story, so it's kind of short. Oh well. Hope it still turned out ok.

Many thanks to those who reviewed! For a story in a practically non-existent fandom, this got more attention than I thought it would. (I was predicting 0-3 comments at the most) XD

Happy Easter!

Thanks for reading! Reviews appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Oda Eiichiro.

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

(Two years after Zoro's departure from Kuraigana Island)

"I will be setting sail tomorrow morning," Mihawk announced at the breakfast table.

"For how long?" Perona inquired conversationally as she applied butter to her toast. It wasn't unusual for him to leave the island every now and then. The man was a Shichibukai. He had things to do. Even though she still didn't particularly like being completely alone, she had gotten used to it.

"I'm not certain, yet. It all depends on how quickly I can find the one I seek." He glanced over at her then. "Would you like to come along?"

_That_ was unusual, and it caused her to pause what she was doing and return his gaze. Normally, he would either just go do whatever it was he needed to do or, if he wanted her to accompany him, he would simply tell her to come along. For him to ask was a bit out of the norm. "Where are you going?"

"I believe it's about time I go check on the boy's progress," he said straightforwardly. "See how much he's improved during his time in the New World."

Her knife clattered to the table, and she swiftly picked it up and resumed her task of butter application as though nothing had happened. Even though his name was not mentioned, she knew exactly who 'the boy' had to be.

The swordsman made no effort to call her out on her sudden clumsiness. "You could be my second set of eyes," he went on to say. Perona had been present throughout the duration of Zoro's training. Aside from himself, she would know best what level of strength Zoro was at when he had left the island. "Is that reason enough for you to make the trip?" he asked, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

She kept her eyes averted as she took a deep breath and heaved a dramatic sigh. "Since you asked, I guess I can put off some of the things I had planned to do and come with you."

"If it's too much trouble, then—"

"No! It's—" She stopped her interjection short when she realized she had somehow unknowingly jumped to her feet in her excitement. She cleared her throat as she planted herself back into her chair. Taking a calming breath, she tried again. "I can work around it."

It was difficult, even for the great Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, to not at least chuckle a little at the girl's antics. "Tomorrow morning, then. Be ready to leave by dawn."

* * *

When Usopp first caught sight of the pair of lights flickering on the water's surface, his initial thought was they must be reflections of the stars in the sky. The only thing was, it was a cloudy night and there was a light layer of mist hovering over the ocean. The stars weren't even visible, let alone their reflections. Seeing as it was his turn to keep watch, the sniper immediately reached for the telescope to further investigate.

The flickering lights turned out to be flames, confirming his suspicions that something was indeed amiss. And if his eyes weren't deceiving him, it looked like they were…candle lights? As the flames came closer, whatever it was that was coming their way began to emerge from the fog and take shape. Usopp's grip tightened around the telescope when he saw what it was: a small coffin-shaped boat with room enough for just one seat.

He recognized the boat immediately. He had seen it before…back before they had even made it to the Grand Line. Even though it was too dark and the craft was still too far for Usopp to make out the features of the man sitting in that seat, he knew exactly who that man was.

Abandoning the telescope, he leaned out the window of the crow's nest and hollered at the top of his lungs. "Zoro! Get up on deck right now! Hurry! Zoro!" He climbed down to the deck and called out for the swordsman once more before placing himself on standby with his slingshot in hand. One could never be too careful. There was no telling whether Hawk-Eyes Mihawk was coming as a friend or a foe. The Straw Hats were pirates, after all, and Mihawk was a Shichibukai.

By the time the Coffin Boat came up beside the Sunny, Usopp's jaws just about hit the deck. Beside Mihawk, sitting on one of the armrests of the boat's only seat, was a classy looking young woman with long pink tresses holding an umbrella over her head. If not for the ghosts that were floating languidly around the Coffin Boat, Usopp would not have recognized her. "…the ghost girl from…Thriller Bark…" What was _she_ doing here?! And why was she with Mihawk?

Before the sniper could speculate further, the girl in question had already levitated herself off the boat and floated up onto the Sunny's deck. Paying no mind to Usopp's gaping stares, Perona took interest in her surroundings instead. The ship looked pretty much the same as the way she'd remembered from her brief encounters with it at Thriller Bark and Sabaody Archipelago. When her eyes finally turned to Usopp, she frowned after giving him a once over. While the ship remained much the same, this guy was another story. "What happened to you, Long Nose? You look even less cultured than the last time I saw you. Did you devolve?"

"WHAT?!" Usopp exclaimed indignantly. Why did he have to be insulted on his own ship by someone _he_ had defeated years ago? He had to stand up for himself! "You don't know anything! It's the ruggedness of a seasoned warrior of the sea! Don't forget that I won our match on Thriller Bark! And I'm even more formidable now than I was then, so you better watch out!"

"Negative Hollow!"

Usopp slumped his shoulders and hung his head. "I'm sadder than a dung beetle…"

Perona tilted her head slightly in contemplation. Her attack had actually taken some mild effect. "Yes, it does seem like you've developed a better outlook on life. Congratulations. Horo horo horo horo!"

Once he recovered, Usopp gritted his teeth with agitation as he shot her a glare. "What business do you have here?"

"Perona?"

She would have continued the banter with Usopp, but that familiar voice captured her attention. She turned to find Zoro coming unhurriedly towards her with a slightly confused, slightly curious, but mostly bored look on his face. Behind him, the other Straw Hats were also emerging onto the deck one after another.

"What're you doing here?" Zoro continued.

Completely blasé. It was so like him. Perona responded in kind, sighing with an air of carelessness before giving her reply. "I came to see how long it'd take for you to get slaughtered."

"Huh?" He frowned in earnest. It hadn't even been ten seconds, and she was already trying to get his goat. It was so like her. He would have demanded an explanation, but that became unnecessary when he saw the man approaching from behind her.

"Roronoa Zoro," Mihawk began as he wrapped his hand around Yoru's hilt and pulled the long blade from its place on his back, pointing it at the younger swordsman. "Unsheathe your swords."

Zoro smirked. He heard that loud and clear.

* * *

As the two swordsmen dueled on the lawn deck, everyone else watched from the upper decks.

"This is so exciting!" Luffy said with a laugh as he adjusted his straw hat and leaned over the railing.

"But they're moving so fast," Chopper said, observing from between the rails. "My eyes can't keep up with everything."

"Hey, are you guys sure it's a good idea to let those two fight on the ship?" Usopp couldn't help but put the question out there. "I mean…that Mihawk can slice a ship in two with a swing of his sword. What if he accidentally swings too hard? We could drown!"

"You don't have to worry about that," Robin responded. "The water temperature is too cold at this time of night. We're more likely to freeze to death instead of drown," she explained straightforwardly.

Usopp wanted to cry. He could always count on Robin's uncomforting words.

"I bet Zoro's probably had the ability to split ships for a while now, too," Nami put in as she folded her arms, "but he's never sliced the Sunny by mistake. It's all about control, and they've got plenty of it. Stop being such a wuss."

That didn't make Usopp feel any better. Sure, they'd have plenty of control when dealing with small fries. But when it was the world's greatest swordsman versus the man with the potential to be the world's greatest swordsman…they'd probably lose some of that control. He turned his attention to Perona who was standing a few paces away from their group. "Oi! You've seen them fight before, right? Do they get crazy and tear up their surroundings?"

She didn't respond.

"Oi, ghost girl!"

The truth was, she didn't even hear him. Perona was completely absorbed by the match. All she could see was the clashing between the two swordsmen. She didn't claim to know much about swordsmanship, but even she could tell that they were fighting on a completely different level compared to how they used to fight on the island. Was it because Zoro was that much better now than he was back then? Was it because Mihawk wanted to take it to the next level? Or was it because they were both seriously trying to take each other out now that they weren't in training mode anymore? She wouldn't put it past either of them to think that way, since she had come to believe that all swordsmen were idiots. It was making her anxious that she wasn't sure what their intentions were for this fight. She really did try to keep her emotions contained, but after a while, she simply couldn't hold her tongue anymore.

"Watch it, you dumbass!" Perona suddenly yelled, startling the spectators beside her.

"I _am_ watching it!" Zoro responded without missing a beat or looking away from his opponent, surprising the group further.

Perona gripped the railing with agitation. "You call that watching it? You nearly got your head lopped off! Twice!"

"Shut up and let me fight!"

"Fight properly, and I'll shut up, moron!"

"Just butt out already, damn it!"

Sanji blinked, his cigarette falling from its place between his lips. He was the first to realize. "I can't believe it…" He had gotten used to Zoro making random exclamations in the midst of their sparring matches. The guy was doing pretty much the same thing now except, this time around, Sanji could hear the voice at the other end of the conversation. Never would the cook have guessed that it would be the voice of a pretty lady. He turned his attention to Perona with disbelief. "…that sly Marimo…"

Robin gave a light chuckle, Zoro's vague explanations about being haunted by a ghost finally making sense. "So, that's what it is."

"I'm so glaaaaaad!" Chopper wailed with tears in his eyes as he hugged Robin's leg. "It's not schizophreniaaaaaaaaa!"

Pretty soon, one after another, heads started to turn toward the pink-haired former enemy with features reflecting various degrees of shock or curiosity as she argued heatedly with their green-haired swordsman as though it was a routine activity. Her concern for their crewmate's wellbeing was obvious in her body language despite the scathing words coming out of her mouth.

Luffy turned left and right, seeing his entire crew with knowing looks on their faces. "What's going on?" he asked, completely puzzled.

Before long, the duel on the lawn deck wrapped up with Zoro on the ground, relieved of two of his three swords, and Mihawk standing over him with the tip of Yoru held at a hair's breadth away from Zoro's throat.

"You still have a long ways to go," the Shichibukai said. "However, your progression did exceed my expectations."

To that, Zoro could only smirk. "Then it probably won't be as long a ways to go as you think."

The corner of Mihawk's lips tilted up slightly. "Perhaps. We shall see."

Perona released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, silently relieved that they were both still breathing. Her watchful eyes assessed both swordsmen's conditions as they exchanged a few words out of everyone's earshot. Then she saw Zoro climb to his feet and head for an entrance into the lower decks with one hand covering a particularly nasty cut on his bicep. Mihawk, on the other hand, began making his way up the stairs to where the rest of them were currently gathered.

"You're taking this rather calmly," the master swordsman noted, his gaze directed at Luffy. "Not worried I might actually take his life this time?" While he didn't give Zoro any life-threatening wounds like the first time they had dueled, the only other time they had fought in Luffy's presence, the damage he had dealt to the younger swordsman was still no laughing matter.

"Zoro won't die so easily," was the proud reply the Straw Hat captain put forth. "And if you did cut him down…then we just won't let you off the ship." There was no malice in his words. In fact, he said it all with a wide grin.

"Oh?" Mihawk would be lying if he said he didn't find those casually confident words amusing. "We can still fight, regardless." He had time to kill anyway.

"No," Luffy replied without even giving it any consideration. "This is Zoro's battle," he declared, folding his arms for emphasis. "I won't fight you."

Even though Mihawk had crossed paths with Monkey D. Luffy a couple of times in the past, this was the first time he truly talked with the boy. Just from that brief exchange, he could see why Shanks favored him and why Zoro would do so much for him. "Fair enough."

From the side, Sanji made his way to the center with a tray balanced on one hand. Now that the show was over, it was time for some refreshments. "Drinks, anyone?"

While everyone cheered in appreciation and reached for a glass, Mihawk turned his attention to his pink-haired companion. "Aren't you going to go fix him?" he inquired casually.

"Why would I?" she retorted easily, appearing as though she could really care less. "They've got a doctor on this ship, don't they?"

Chopper's eyes widened with a look of mortification. "Oh! That's me!" He couldn't believe he got so caught up in the excitement that he forgot to do his job! Relinquishing his hold on his untouched juice, the reindeer began pushing his way through the crowd.

"Doctor," Mihawk voiced, catching everyone's curious ears and stopping Chopper before he could get too far. "Would you mind tending to my wounds first?"

Chopper blinked, uncertain. "Eh?"

Perona tightened her grip around the handle of her umbrella, her eyebrow twitching. "You don't even have a scratch on you!" she pointed out furiously.

"Hmm." The swordsman gave himself a quick once over. "I see your point." Unsheathing the small dagger he wore around his neck like a crucifix, he made a swift cut to the back of his left hand, drawing blood. "Now, Doctor…if you would?"

Most of the spectators seemed amused, while Chopper was simply confused.

So, Sanji decided to help out. "Go ahead and help him, Chopper. He _is_ our guest."

"Yeah," Nami added with a sly grin of her own. "Didn't you hear what Luffy said? Zoro won't die so easily."

Seeing as how everyone seemed to be in agreement on it being the hospitable thing to do, Chopper returned to the infirmary to retrieve his supplies to tend to Mihawk's minor cut.

Perona, on the other hand, wasn't feeling as gracious about the Shichibukai's little stunt to keep the doctor away from the one who actually required medical attention. In fact, she was pissed. "Are you _seriously_ trying to kill him?! He's in worse shape than that time when you told him to fight the Humandrills with blindfolds on!"

The Straw Hat crew watched on with mild fascination as the slip of a girl fearlessly rounded on the world's greatest swordsman, nitpicking every move he had made during the fight that could have potentially caused some kind of permanent damage to the younger swordsman.

Mihawk simply let her speak without any signs of anger or displeasure, taking a glass of wine off of Sanji's tray and sipping from it with nonchalance. He was used to it after all and could recall when this trend of Perona's anxious ranting began: the day he had taken Zoro's eye.

"…and then after that, you nearly lopped his arm off! Now you're holding up their cute little doctor when he's bleeding like a chopped tomato! You _know_ how much he sucks at treating his own wounds! If we just leave him be, he might…he might…" She clicked her tongue, shaking with exasperation as she struggled within herself. Patching that guy up wasn't her task anymore! She shouldn't have to do this! "Argh!" With a huff, she turned on her heels and stomped away with purposeful strides, cursing her own lack of resolve. She couldn't just let that chopped tomato bleed out now, could she? "All swordsmen are idiots!"

As the Ghost Princess disappeared in the same direction Zoro had gone, Mihawk allowed himself a hearty laugh. It wasn't something he did often. Somehow, those two just had the knack for drawing it out of him without knowing it. He then returned his attention to the people around him. "So, tell me… What has that boy been up to these past two years?"

* * *

After a bit of searching, Perona eventually found Zoro in the cabin he shared with the other guys, sitting at the low table with various first aid supplies spread out around him. He looked up when he heard someone enter. After holding her gaze for a few moments, he simply returned to the task of winding bandages loosely around his arm without a word.

Taking off her hat and setting it aside along with her umbrella, she marched up to him and sat on her heels by his side. Slapping his hand away with that you're-a-troublesome-idiot scowl on her features, she proceeded with unwrapping the mess of bandages on his arm so that she could start with disinfecting the wounds…something he probably didn't bother doing. "Why did you walk off on your own?" she asked with a bit of annoyance as her hands fell into the old routine. "You should have asked the cute doctor to come help you!" If he had, then Chopper wouldn't have been held up.

Zoro gave that a bit of thought. It was a good question. He didn't have a good answer. It was odd. The thought of enlisting Chopper's help hadn't even crossed his mind this time. Not only that, he didn't even go to the infirmary where there were a lot more supplies. Perhaps it was because his opponent had been Mihawk. In the past, whenever he had matches with Mihawk, he would always be fixed up by Perona. He studied her as said girl diligently and carefully dabbed a cotton over the cuts on his chest.

Perhaps on some subconscious level, he was expecting her to come.

"How did you find me?" he asked instead of answering her question.

In response, she reached two fingers inside her dress and retrieved three ripped pieces of white paper from the space between her breasts, holding them up with a dry expression before tucking them back into their place.

Vivre cards. Zoro had almost forgotten about them. His eye strayed over to his swords where he kept his three pieces strapped to the side of Wado Ichimonji's sheath. They each had a piece of each other's card in their possession. Mihawk had had the cards made and given to them as a parting gift, saying that if Zoro's card should burn up, then he'd know when to stop expecting the younger swordsman's return for another attempt at claiming his title. Of course, this didn't explain why Perona had been given a card. Then again, the reasons behind it weren't too hard to figure out. After having spent so much time together, the three of them weren't exactly strangers anymore.

"So, I take it you went back," he said, stating the obvious.

"It's a good thing I did," she replied distractedly, keeping most of her attention on her task. "Otherwise, he would have been living off of nothing but wine …and might even resort to training Humandrills to do the laundry."

"Why did you go back?" When they had parted ways at Sabaody Archipelago, she had mentioned something about going her own way for a while.

"Guess I just didn't find anywhere else I wanted to go," she said conversationally. "I did run into some pirates who wanted to offer me a place on their ship." Quite a few, actually, ranging from the well known to the unknown. "One of them was Scratchmen Apoo, but…I couldn't handle the weird teeth. Basil Hawkins was another, but he's got these weird eyebrows, so, no. Then there was Trafalgar Law. He's actually alright. In any case, I like his jolly roger, and there's a super cute guy in his crew," she supplied, remembering the white bear, Bepo. "But…I don't know. Hawk-Eyes's place is still more my style." Of course, the other reason why she went back was because she had figured it would increase her chances of crossing paths with this idiot again, but she wasn't about to tell _him_ that.

Zoro wasn't surprised that even the Supernovas were interested in Perona. After all, having a Devil Fruit power automatically made her a hot commodity. Not to mention, she had experience working under not just one but two Shichibukai. All that aside…he wondered who the so-called 'super cute guy' in Law's crew could possibly be.

Perona's brows came together when a particularly nasty looking scar caught her eye…one that looked foreign to her. "How'd you get this?" she inquired, trailing her fingers lightly along the rough skin just under his collar bones.

He gave the barest hint of a shrug. "Just a memento from Punk Hazard."

Then she threw a glance at the angry mark adorning his bicep, keeping her expression neutral. "And that one?"

"Some crazy bastard with poisonous throwing hooks."

She singled out a few more scars to ask about and he soon realized that, without exception, they were all from battles he had fought after his departure from Kuraigana Island. The thought had never occurred to him before, but she had tended to his wounds so much she could probably map out all of the scars on his body with her eyes closed.

When she was done asking, she had this look on her face that clearly said she wanted to say something but was trying to refrain from doing so. It made him frown. "What?"

"Nothing," she evaded.

"If you got something to say, then say it." Better to get it done and over with, especially when she was starting to look like she might implode at any second.

She rolled her eyes with a sigh, easily caving in to his request. "Wasn't the point of all that crazy training to prevent all this?" she asked, her hand generally gesturing to the multitude of battle scars he had acquired over the past two years.

"You're kidding, right?" he deadpanned. "This is the New World." Without his training, he might not have even made it to Fishman Island alive. Did she really expect him to sail through it unscathed?

"Exactly! So, when are you going to stop being so damn reckless?!" she exclaimed. "And stop leaving everything to fate!" she quickly added before he could retort. He just _loved_ that fate thing and would always say things like if he didn't survive, then it just meant that he wasn't good enough or it wasn't meant to be. It was as though he were using fate as an excuse to be reckless…as permission to be stupid. Fired up by that thought, she tugged hard on the bandage she was wrapping around his torso, making sure that he'd feel it.

Zoro hissed between his teeth. "Damn it, don't take it out on me just because you worry obsessively!"

"I am _not_ worried!" she insisted.

That was a blatant lie, and they both knew it. After all, his wellbeing and his seeming lack of regard for self preservation tended to be the subjects around which their arguments revolved. He could call her out on it just to irritate her, but that course of action might not be so good for his health.

"I'm out of bandages," she informed.

"There's more in my locker," he said, looking to the row of lockers on one of the walls. "Second one from the right. It should be just sitting on the shelf."

As Perona followed his directions, Zoro took a moment to look himself over. There was nostalgia in the way she dressed his wounds. Despite how she still tied those ridiculous little bows everywhere along the bandages and the fact that it was not as professionally done as Chopper's work, there was some comfort in it. He sort of missed it.

She opened up his locker and immediately spotted the item where he said it would be. As she reached to retrieve it, a small leather pouch sitting on the shelf beside the bandages with its tie loose and its contents exposed caught her attention. Biting down on her laughter, she picked up the pouch along with the bandages and closed the locker. "What's this?" she asked, a mischievous lilt in her voice as she went and dangled the pouch in front of his face.

When he saw what was in her hand, he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck, a bit annoyed. "I ended up picking one up from every port we stopped at," he explained somewhat grumpily, not entirely happy with himself for repeatedly doing something that was compulsive and ultimately pointless in his view.

"Wait…didn't you used to _always_ say how useless this stuff was and buying them was a _huge_ waste of time?" she accused teasingly.

"I still think that," he insisted with folded arms.

She raised a skeptical brow, waiting for his explanation.

"It's just out of habit, alright?!" he grudgingly divulged, frowning like there was no tomorrow. Besides, it was entirely her fault that he picked up this weird habit.

She poured the contents of the pouch into her hand: a collection of silver charms. She tried to suppress the smile that bloomed on her features along with the memories that came bubbling to the surface of her mind…memories of her dragging him unwillingly to a trinkets shop to buy something every time they had to do a supplies run. She never thought that he would continue the tradition on his own. Just the mental image of him doing it was enough to make her laugh.

He watched as she shuffled through the trinkets in her hand with interest. "I don't have any use for them. If you want, you can have 'em." Otherwise, they'd just be collecting dust in his locker.

The charms he had selected were quite different from the ones she would have picked out. Holding one up, dangling it between her fingers, she raised an amused brow at him. "Sake bottle?" She held up a different one. "Katana?"

"If you don't want them, you can hand them back over," he said dryly.

"No," she said airily, the delighted smile still on her lips. "I'll take them." Placing the charms back into the pouch, she set it aside and resumed the task of patching him up.

After watching her work in silence for a while, he finally resolved to ask the question that had been on his mind for quite some time now. "What can you do with your Devil Fruit powers?"

"What?" She spared him a bemused glance at the unexpected question, wondering if she had indeed heard correctly.

"What can you do with your Devil Fruit powers?" he repeated. "Besides astral projection and the ghost network thing…and making people feel like crap."

She frowned lightly in puzzlement, unsure of his sudden interest. "I can make explosions with Ghost Rap."

"Can you haunt people?"

That actually made her chuckle lightly. "I don't know. I've never tried. Sounds like it could be fun, though." She quirked a brow at him. "Why are you asking me this?"

He gave a light shrug. "Just wondering." It had occurred to him some time ago that the reason why he would keep hearing her voice all the time wasn't because she was haunting him. He simply couldn't get her out of his head. Her answer just now was really more of a confirmation rather than a revelation.

He hadn't really given it much conscious thought during the days when they used to be in constant company of each other, but she had somehow managed to carve out a place for herself in his life. She wasn't family. She wasn't a mentor. She was different from a nakama, more than an impromptu medic, closer than just a friend. He wasn't quite sure where she fit in. She seemed to be in an undefined category all her own.

By the time he had figured all this out, it was already too late. They had already gone their separate ways. There hadn't been any goodbyes. There hadn't been any see-you-laters. They had simply walked away from each other, and that was it. He had never thought that he'd be spending the next two years wondering where she was and whether he'd ever run into her again.

"There," Perona said, her voice cutting into his musings. "It's done."

Unable to think of anything better to say, he muttered a simple thanks.

She shrugged. "I'd tell you to take it easy for a few days, but I'm sure you'd be up training by sunrise."

He smirked. She knew him too well.

Perona took a deep breath as her eyes darted around the cabin. Now that she was finished with her task, she didn't really have much excuse to keep hanging around down here anymore. "Guess I better go make sure Hawk-Eyes doesn't leave without me." Reluctantly, she rose to her feet, busying herself with smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress.

"Perona, wait." Following her example, Zoro stood as well. He had no idea what he wanted to do. He just knew that if he let her leave now they'd be doing exactly the same thing they did two years ago, walking away from each other without saying or knowing anything. And if past experience was anything to go by, it would really annoy the hell out of him in the days to come.

In the next couple of seconds, the time it would take for Perona to finish fixing her dress and face him, Zoro mulled over the options before him:

Option one: he could say something…tell her what's been going through his head. It seemed like the sensible thing to do, except he was never good at explaining things. Words escaped him when the subject matter had nothing to do with combat, and even then he tended to keep things brief. It certainly didn't help that the subject matter at hand was something _way_ out of his area of expertise. The only reference he had for how to deal with a member of the opposite sex was Sanji…and that was really more a reference of what _not_ to do. He would kill himself before adopting behaviors based on that Ero-Cook.

Option two: he could ask her questions on what she thought about what was or wasn't going on between them. That way, _she_ could do all the talking. Only problem was, questions still involved words, and adding a question mark at the end didn't make it any easier.

So then, that only left him with option three: skip the talking and cut to the chase.

The moment Perona looked up to see what he wanted, Zoro placed a hand on the back of her head and pulled her in, placing a solid kiss on her lips. It was abrupt, he knew, but it was clear, to the point, and self-explanatory.

When her brain caught up with her, Perona pushed away from him, her eyes wide with shock. "Wh…what the hell was that?"

"That was me not leaving things to fate," he replied with his most deadpan expression.

She remained frozen in place, unable to believe what she just heard, unable to accept what just happened. When she finally came out of her stupor, the Ghost Princess closed her eyes as her brows drew together in a frown, her hands tugging on her pink tresses in frustration. "That was…so…completely WRONG! Can you BE any less romantic?!"

As embarrassing as it was, she had actually fantasized about kissing this blockhead many times over. Spending as much time as she had on making miniature versions of the idiot, her thoughts were bound to stray. However, never in any of those scenarios had it ever happened quite like this. Of course, she had already figured that, realistically speaking, chances were low that it would happen in her two most favored settings: under a full moon in the midst of a field of tombstones with a layer of eerie mist hovering over the ground, or in a dark cave lit by jack-o'-lanterns as a swarm of vampire bats flittered about and bloodthirsty wolves howled in the distance. But this? This wasn't even anywhere _near_ the most mundane of the things she had imagined.

"Would it hurt to at least _try_ to woo me a little?!" she griped. "I mean…where are the dead roses? The poetry of death and despair? You could at _least_ bring me a cup of hot cocoa or something!"

Her reaction put an amused smirk on Zoro's face because, despite the fact that she was hopping mad, she wasn't upset with the fact that he had kissed her…just the execution of it. "Well, this is what you got."

She huffed a breath with a frown. "I got cheated."

He gave a carefree shrug, smug look still in place. "Take it or leave it."

She pinned him with an accusing glare. "You have no tact."

He raised a brow. "Got a problem with it?"

That comment actually managed to coax a soft laughter out of her. Heaving a sigh of resignation, she supposed she really shouldn't have been so surprised. Hadn't she always known he was an idiot? "You," she began as she reached up with her hand and lightly traced the outer shell of his left ear with her fingers, watching as his earrings swayed in the wake of her touch, "…are _so_ not cute."

With a wry smile on her lips and fondness in her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss, issuing no further complaints when his arms found their way around her and pulled her flush against his form. True, he didn't have anything awe-inspiring to say, but his insistent kisses and unyielding embrace were enough to let her know that her decision to wait for him hadn't been wrong.

* * *

After the spur-of-the-moment merry making that lasted till dawn, the Straw Hats gathered on the decks to bid the Shichibukai and the Ghost Princess farewell.

"Monkey D. Luffy, I thank you for your hospitality," Mihawk said in parting.

"Come back again anytime," Luffy responded with his trademark grin, having decided long before this day that the older swordsman wasn't a bad guy. The man had looked after one of his very important nakama, after all.

Then Mihawk turned to Sanji with a slight nod. "The food was very much appreciated," he began, bringing a smile to the cook's features. "It's been a while since I've had distinguishable meat."

Beside him, Perona grumbled indignantly as she tried to glare a hole into Mihawk's head. "If you can't stomach it, then make it yourself next time!" she all but hissed.

"So, you're still turning meat into cardboard," Zoro noted with a barely concealed smirk, unable to resist himself.

The pink-haired girl turned her fury to the younger swordsman. "Shut up!" Then she promptly redirected her ire once again, this time to Luffy. "And you! Hurry up and be Pirate King already!" she said demandingly before turning away and heading towards the Coffin Boat with a huff.

Luffy scratched his head, a confused frown on his face as his eyes trailed her retreating form. "Why's she so mad about it?"

The green-haired swordsman offered nothing more than an amused shrug.

"Be prepared, Zoro," Mihawk warned before the corner of his lips turned up slightly. "You never know when you and I might meet again next."

Zoro stood a bit taller with a confident and challenging look in his eye. "Anytime. Anywhere."

After giving the young man one last approving look, the Shichibukai went to join the pink-haired young woman in the Coffin Boat.

"So, when do you plan on coming back?" Perona inquired, having heard his last words to Zoro.

"In two years," he informed with a straight face.

Her eyes bulged with disbelief. "_Another_ two years?!"

He hid his smirk to her predictable reaction. "You are free to return on your own if you deem that length of time too long for your liking. Or…you could just stay here."

Perona sputtered. "That's not something for you to decide! This isn't your ship!" It was rather irksome that Mihawk, the ever stoic swordsman who always carried himself with an air of seriousness, had developed a taste for teasing her on the subject of Zoro.

Taking a deep calming breath as their boat set off, Perona recalled the conversation she had with the green-haired swordsman the previous night:

"_What do you plan to do after your journey?" she asked._

_Zoro gave that a moment of consideration. "After making Luffy Pirate King, I'll return to Kuraigana Island."_

"_Why?" she inquired, internally cursing herself for not being able to completely conceal the anticipation in her voice._

_He gave her a meaningful look. Then a smirk found its way to his lips. "To defeat Hawk-Eyes and become the world's greatest swordsman…of course."_

Perona rolled her eyes at the memory. Zoro had said he would stay at the island for as long as it would take to achieve his goal. So, it may be just one fight, or it might take years. "That idiot plans to come back and kick your ass, you know," she said casually.

To that, Mihawk could only laugh. "I do not doubt it."

* * *

Watching from the Sunny's deck as the pair departed, Zoro noticed three of his sword charms hooked into one of Perona's umbrella-devil's ears, glimmering in the morning sun. He frowned as his hand grasped the three earrings he wore on his own ear. _Is she mocking me?_

"They seem like interesting people," Luffy enthused from where he was sitting on the railing beside the swordsman with his legs dangling off the side of the ship. "You must have had an interesting two years with them, Zoro! I wouldn't have minded if they hung around a while longer."

Zoro sighed with mild annoyance. "Just let them go."

"You're not going to miss her?" Robin asked with a light chuckle from Zoro's other side.

He placed his hand on the sheath of Wado Ichimonji where he kept Perona's vivre card. "I know where to find her," he said simply, not directly answering Robin's question, though not denying the implications in her words either as the Ghost Princess's unconcerned voice rang through his head:

"_Fine. Guess I have no choice but to start stocking up on first aid supplies again. You're an idiot, after all. You won't live long enough to enjoy the glory of being the greatest swordsman if I'm not there to piece you back together."_

Zoro chuckled to himself. That had been her response when he told her he'd be going back to Kuraigana Island someday…a day he would look forward to.

* * *

They had spent two years together, then two years apart. What will happen in the future, when will they meet again…neither of them could say for sure. No promises had been made nor words of undying love exchanged. There was just an unspoken understanding that, for them, this was not the end.

…END…

* * *

A/N: And that's the story. Right when I say it's not the end, it ends. =P Hope you liked!

As far as reading goes, I'm a bit behind. I think I stopped in the middle of the Punk Hazard Arc…right after Zoro's fight with that bird woman. So, I hope there's nothing in here that's totally contradicting to whatever's going on in canon right now.

For some reason, I really like the image of Mihawk in his Coffin Boat with Perona sitting on the arm of his chair. It'll be cool if they make an entrance like that in the series someday. XD Mihawk is a pretty serious, no nonsense character. But after spending so much time with 'the kids', he softened up somewhat and took on a bit of a guardian/mentor role with them, borderline father figure-like with Perona. Well, at least that's how it played out in this story. =P

Perona's powers…it kind of looks like after the 2 year time skip, she is able to float even without leaving her body. There's a scene where she's arguing with Zoro, and she appears quite tangible. When she got up to his face, her hat's shown bent upward against Zoro's forehead instead of going through him. So, that's why in this chapter she was able to float up to the Sunny's deck while still in her physical body.

Perona complains about Zoro's sense of romance, but hers is actually pretty off, too. Haha! XD

Yay! It's finally done! I can move on with my life! LOL! Now go and write your own Zoro/Perona fic! =D

Thanks for reading! Reviews much appreciated!

That's all for now! Until next time!


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